8 MUST TRY CHINESE FOOD SPOTS IN NYC

 

Photo by Sandy Ching

Photo by Craig Whitehead

Eating Chinese food on Christmas is a Jewish-American tradition which began at the end of the 19th century in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Back then in the LES, Jewish and Chinese immigrants lived in close proximity. The first mention of American Jews eating in a Chinese restaurant was in 1899 in the American Hebrew Journal. By 1936, the number of Jewish and Chinese restaurants on the East Side had grown considerably, and it became a habit for Jews to go out for Chinese food on Sundays. Since then, the practice of eating Chinese food on Christmas has become a way for Jews to secularly celebrate the holiday. Under kosher law, Chinese food is much safer to eat than many other cuisines, as the mixing of meat and dairy rarely happens.
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In preparation for the notorious Jewish-American tradition of eating Chinese food on Christmas, we’ve asked two of our trusted foodie friends: acclaimed cookbook author Hetty Mckinnon and James Beard Award-Winning storyteller Liza deGuia what their favorite Chinese restaurants spots are in the city. We have listed them below—the locations range from multiple places around the city, so take notes for your Christmas takeout this year :)

 
 

About Hetty McKinnon:

Hetty McKinnon is a cook and food writer, with a passion for vegetables and community. Hetty is the author of four bestselling cookbooks: Community, Neighbourhood, Family and To Asia, With Love. She is also the editor and publisher of multicultural food journal Peddler and the host of the magazine’s podcast The House Specials. She now lives with her family in Brooklyn, NY.

Insta: @hettymckinnon Website: http://www.arthurstreetkitchen.com

 
 

Hetty’s Recs:

EAST HARBOR SEAFOOD PALACE

I am obsessed with East Harbor Seafood Palace in Sunset Park! This is some of the best dim sum in the city, and the bustling atmosphere and large dining hall reminds me of my childhood dim sum experiences.
714 65th St, Brooklyn, NY 11220

MEI LAI WAH

In Chinatown Manhattan, I love joining the queue (there's always a queue) at Mei Lai Wah for their amazing buns. Their 'famous bun' is a simple unfilled bun topped with sesame seeds and a sweet glaze and their barbecued roast pork buns are wait-worthy (according to my kids!). I love their fried cruller steamed rice rolls, Vegetables with Crispy Paper Rice Noodle Roll and coconut buns. 62 Bayard St. Manhattan, NY, 10013

CONGEE VILLAGE

(Chinatown Manhattan) Congee Village is a family favourite. It is proper Cantonese food, like the flavours I grew up with. Actually their menu very much reminds me of the food at my uncle's restaurant in Sydney. I love their chow mein and e fu noodles (springy and chewy noodles which are unlike any other noodle!). 100 Allen St, New York, NY 10002

WEST NEW MALAYSIAN

(Chinatown Manhattan) Lately, I have discovered a restaurant called West New Malaysian. My family love the beef rendang (which is hard to find in NYC), the roti is wonderful too, but my favourite is an unassuming dish named Homemade Tofu with Special Sauce - the fresh, just-made tofu is mind-blowing (I order it without the pork and shrimp). 46-48, Bowery, New York, NY 10013

Liza’s Recs:

About Liza deGuia:

Liza deGuia is a James Beard Award Winner, Emmy Nominee, and the founder of Food Curated, an award-winning docuseries which celebrates innovative food makers, chefs & small brands!

Insta: @skeeterny .
Food Curated Website: https://foodcurated.com

HWA YUAN

(Chinatown Manhattan) Hwa Yuan - When you want a more fancy sit-down Chinese Szechuan feast with great service and revived family recipes, I come here for expertly cooked Peking duck served at your table. It’s a place for big parties and celebratory meals. Not to miss, are the spicy whole fish in black bean sauce, the dry sautéed shrimp with chili pepper, double-sautéed pork belly, the house chili wontons, and the dry fried tangy crispy beef. 42 E Broadway. New York, NY 10002

YUNNAN FLAVOR GARDEN

(Sunset Park) Yunnan Flavor Garden - This no frills, mom and pop shop has a rotating clientele of community diners who come here for amazing noodle soup and delicious, full flavored dumplings. Don’t miss the Crossing Bridge Noodles Soup, it’s the house specialty served at the table with a mix of thinly sliced meats and herbs. The beef brisket noodles also goes down easy. Nice beefy flavors. All soups are a huge portion! I love the clean, beautiful broths and tender noodles that make you ooh and ahh. But, don’t leave without the pork & peanut cold noodles and sweet & sour wontons - full-flavored, rich meaty bites that will keep you coming back again and again. Just note, it’s cash only! 5121 8th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11220

CHIKO

Chiko (Greenpoint) - This is my local unexpected spot for amazing, spicy dan dan noodles. This restaurant has a tiny menu of usually 5-6 items that rotates seasonally, but the dan dan has remained on the menu regardless because of its popularity. The chef has a special knack for the spices and seasonings here as the bowl really comes out with superior fragrant flavors. It wows your senses and warms you at the same time. Plus, the choice of noodles is soft and toothsome in all the right ways. A steal for $13. 954 Manhattan Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11222

SHANGHAI YOU GARDEN

Shanghai You Garden (Flushing) - My good friends all swear by the soup dumplings here at Shanghai You Garden. It’s a super busy restaurant with a very efficient staff. The menu is huge. You can get all your dim sum needs fulfilled here, but I just really love their soup dumplings. Unlike most places, the menu features a variety of soup dumpling fillings. Some pork, some veg, some seafood. You can even pick a mix & max steamer platter so you can try one of each. The dumpling skin I am very critical about, and these are super thin, tender and pliable, they don’t break apart when you reach for them. Plus the fillings are juicy, tasty with great soup to filling ratio. If you need to get your soup dumpling itch scratched, it’s worth a trip out to Flushing. Also not to miss, the big pan fried pork dumplings and the crisp scallion pancakes! 135-33 40th Rd, Queens, NY 11354